1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the use of Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct. More particularly, the present invention relates to the creation of a Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) group using Wi-Fi Direct.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable terminal may take the form of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a smart phone, or the like. A portable terminal provides a user with a variety of useful functions through applications which provide a variety of different functions. For example, a portable terminal may provide a user with functionality associated with Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct technology. Wi-Fi Direct is also referred to as Wi-Fi P2P technology.
Functionality associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology, which has been proposed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, is being focused on.
Wi-Fi Direct technology is a new communication technology in which devices supporting Wi-Fi Direct (or even when multiple devices, of which only one device supports Wi-Fi Direct) can communicate with each other and share information with each other, without having to communicate with a router or an Access Point (AP).
The Wi-Fi Direct technology has some similarities with Bluetooth in terms of communication between devices. However, in terms of transmission range and data transmission rate, the Wi-Fi Direct technology has more advantages than the Bluetooth technology. For example, Bluetooth technology has certain limitations associated with a transmission distance and a transmission speed. Therefore, the function of the Wi-Fi Direct technology is expected to quickly replace the Bluetooth technology. For example, Bluetooth 4.0, which is the latest Bluetooth specification, supports a maximum transmission range of 100 m and a maximum transmission rate of 24 Mbps. In contrast to the Bluetooth 4.0 technology, the Wi-Fi Direct technology supports a maximum transmission range of 200 m and a maximum transmission rate of 300 Mbps.
According to the Wi-Fi Direct, a P2P group is formed among devices, so as to form a Wi-Fi P2P network. A P2P group includes a device operating as a Group Owner (GO) and a device operating as a Group Client (GC).
When a P2P group is formed according to the Wi-Fi Direct technology, devices perform a process of determining an attribute of a P2P group as either a temporary group or a persistent group, together with a group owner negotiation process of determining whether a device operates as a GO or as a GC.
When the attribute of the P2P group has been determined as a persistent group and the P2P group corresponding to the persistent group is again created (e.g., formed), devices belonging to the P2P group enable the omission of a variety of processes required to form a P2P group, so that a P2P group can be quickly formed. Such an attribute of the P2P group is determined by a user of a device (e.g., a P2P device) belonging to the P2P group in a step of forming a P2P group (e.g. a group owner negotiation process).
When the speed of subsequently forming the identical P2P device and P2P group is considered, it may be desirable that an attribute of the P2P group be determined as a persistent group. However, from the viewpoint of the user of the P2P device, there may be a case (i.e., an attribute of the P2P group is determined as a temporary group) in which a P2P group is intended to be temporarily formed. For example, in such a case, a user of the P2P device may only intend that the P2P group be temporarily formed once.
Meanwhile, the current specification associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology does not provide a function in which a user of a P2P device can conveniently change the attribute of the P2P group as the need arises after an attribute of a P2P group is determined when the P2P group is formed. For example, after a P2P group is first determined when the P2P group is formed, the current specification associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology does not allow a user of a P2P device to conveniently change the attribute of the P2P group.
Also, the specification associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology prescribes that the attribute of the P2P group is effective as the persistent group when a P2P device, which is set as a GO, and a P2P device, which is set as a GC, are connected to each other only in one-to-one correspondence. Namely, the P2P device, which has been set as the GO in the P2P group which has been set as the persistent group, continuously operates as the GO even when the identical P2P group is again created. In order to normally use the P2P group which has been set as the persistent group, the P2P device operating as the GO is absolutely required.
This restriction of the existing Wi-Fi Direct specification has problems exposed when a 1:N P2P group is created by connecting another P2P device to a P2P group (1:1 P2P group) in which two P2P devices (i.e., one of which is the GO, and the other being the GC) are connected one-to-one to each other. These problems will be described below with reference to FIG. 1A.
FIG. 1A is an illustrative view of a Wi-Fi P2P group created by a Wi-Fi Direct function according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1A, when a P2P device B is newly connected to a 1:1 P2P group and a 1:N P2P group is formed in a state in which a P2P device operating as a GO (i.e., the P2P Group Owner) and a P2P device A operating as a GC form the 1:1 P2P group as a persistent group, the existing specification associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology has a problem in that an attribute of a persistent group is applied only between the P2P group owner and the P2P device A, and an attribute of the persistent group or a temporary group cannot be selected between the P2P device A and the P2P device B newly connected to the 1:1 P2P group.
Namely, the existing specification associated with Wi-Fi Direct technology has an inconvenience in that the setting of the persistent group cannot be separately applied to devices (e.g. the P2P device A, and the P2P device B) each operating as a GC in the state of maintaining the 1:N P2P group.
Referring to FIG. 1A, for example, when the P2P group owner does not operate in the state where three P2P devices including the P2P group owner, the P2P device A and the P2P device B form the 1:N P2P group, the P2P device A and the P2P device B cannot perform communication any more. Thereafter, when the P2P device A and the P2P device B are intended to form a P2P group, it is necessary to perform all processes required to form the P2P group, and thus a lot of time is required to form the P2P group.
Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus and method which, which, when a P2P group is formed by using Wi-Fi Direct technology and is then used while compatibility is maintained in compliance with a Wi-Fi Direct specification, can more flexibly and conveniently change an attribute of the P2P group at a request of a user.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.